COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Formerly Tail Wagger Black IPA
A Big Bold Hoppy IPA that finishes with a dark twist.
True to its IPA roots Dogzilla has a massive hop presence that is Piney and Citrusy. A malty backbone, along with the dark malt gives it a bit of a roasty finish. Brewed with Simcoe and Cascade Hops, Pale Malt, Munich, and Black Barley.
6.9% abv and 69IBU’s

very sweet smell, similar to that of fruity milk. very dark colored, mostly brown with a little bit of red and orange. has a sweet flavor as well that is pleasing but difficult to identify. has a very full, maybe even overly busy finish. has a very strong hoppy flavor and is quite bitter. B

A soft pour produces a three-finger thick, lightly browned, full tan colored head. The beer is quite dark, but there is a burnt amber hue to its blackness. When held up to the light the beer shows a brilliantly clear, bright ruby hue. The aroma has a candied citrus character to it as well as ample lychee notes and a sort of amp’d up juicy-fruit like note. The finish has some roasted grain character to it that has a toasted grain husk like character. This beer has a surprisingly fruity note to it, it is quite a bit different than in any other hoppy beer I have had; interesting, but I am not sure if I am entirely enjoying it.

Wow, very carbonated, the beer foams up as it hits my tongue. Quite soon this dry beer picks up a definite tartness and the finish has a lingering, burnt, almost fermented cabbage note to it that is just bad. The dark malt is a bit more noticeable than it is in the flavor, while the hop character provides a fair amount of bitterness as well as a citrus character that melds with the sourness found in this beer. This has an ample hop character just like one would want in an IPA and the dark malt adds a nice roastiness to the finish, but the sourness really warps the hop flavor here; it sort of reminds me of eating a tart, not quite ripe Meyer Lemon. Really though, this is just an infected mess. Hopefully Laughing Dog can clean up their bottling process as I wouldn’t mind having an un-infected go at this.

Wow, wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. This is the first time I’ve had something like this and my palate kept getting confused. Smells exactly like I would expect, a hoppy beer with a strong malty profile. Tastes very hoppy and smoky at first, but immediately assaulted by what I initially thought was a sour tang, for lack of a better word. This takes some getting used to. After a few sips, it becomes much more palatable. Just remember, it’s a Northwest IPA, not a porter!

On tap at The Front Door
Dark reddish brown with an almost non-existent beige head. Interesting aroma with citrus from the hops and caramel from the malt. Not something I’m used to in a beer.
It took about half way through the beer before deciding it was great. My palate kept getting confused on what I was drinking. A porter? An IPA? It was like mixing the porter that’s on tap at my house, and the homebrew IPA in bottles. Doesn’t sound like it would be all that good. It is. But it definitely has to grow on you.

Bottle from acrdz. Thanks Mike! This is a weird beer. Black IPA’s fresh have never really been my thing (Im especially thinking about a certain stone anniversary beer here) and this one started off okay but as Ethan describes below there were some really distinct flavors that kind of throw everything out of balance. Its almost like you are drinking two different beers: one roasty porter type beer and another very thin hop juice like concoction.

Thanks turdferguson for sharing. Pours a dark black that allows some light with a one to two finger creamy light tan head. The nose shows resiny hops, citrus, mild roast, sweet, lemon rind, very pungent hop nose. Flavor is very skewed and muddled, soy, kind of buttery, has a slick feel to it. Sharp waxy bitterness. Beer doesn’t seem to be able to find itself in the flavor and has too much conflict.

Bottle from Liquid Solutions. Very dark color, but there is lots of ruby on the edges. The head is multifinger beige. Aromas of resin and floral hop with roasted malt. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Taste is astringent hop with reasonably toasted malt. There is a lot of herb or floral aspect. Maybe even a little grassiness. Sort of puckers the mouth in the finish. Lots going on with this one. With time I can imagine there is a bit of sour. But maybe it’s just astringency.

Courtesy of sebletitje. Thanks Sebastian. Deep brown pour with thin off white 20 second head. The aroma is fairly complex with pine, resin, a bit of grass, perfumy floral hops and a bit of mild roasted malts. The taste is full crystal malts and mildly roasted malts moving into grapefruit hop bitterness, a touch of pine, resin and floral hop notes. Very nice stuff.

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